Knees bad again

catherinetAugust 16, 2007

Hi all,

Last July, I had knee surgery on one knee for a torn meniscus (probably from osteoarthritis), and a clean up of the arthritis. I guess because of my fibromyalgia, I had a horrible time with recovery. It took several months of physical therapy to get me going again. Because of the fibromyalgia, my muscles go crazy for no reason at all.

I have been doing great for quite awhile. I wasn't exercising because my legs felt so good. Well a couple weeks ago, my good knee started feeling a little loose, then WHAM......both legs started hurting all the time......24/7. I'm having trouble walking on them and am in pain all the time. I've started back up on the knee-strengthening exercises and am wearing a knee brace. I'm using the exercise bike and ice packs 2 times a day. I'm only taking tylenol, since I can't tolerate NSAIDS. My GI tract also has trouble with glucosamine.

I have a call in to the physical therapist. I don't want to go see the ortho doc because I know he'll say I need knee replacements.....which I refuse to have (at least at this point in my life. I'm 57).

So......I'm going to approach this from a physical therapy/herbal supplement position. But I need to do alot of research on the Internet about my options.

Have any of you approached your knee problems in a more natural way, and if so, what all did you do? Thanks so much.

Have the knee replacement. I don't know anyone who has been sorry. Age isn't much of a factor anymore because they are using titanium and it doesn't wear out. My daughter's dog had his knees replaced last week. It cost 3k.

My dad had a knee replacement at 80 years old. At 57 you're still a kid! As long as your body can tolerate the surgery itself, go for it. The hardest part is the rehab to which you must commit but it sounds like you already are taking care of your knee as best as you can.

Thanks everyone,
I know this might sound silly to some of you, but when I die, I don't want alot of fake parts. Of course, I don't want to spend the next 20-30 years in pain either......but I'd like to try to help my knees more naturally to start with. Unfortunately, it seems that once you've ruined your padding (meniscuses), you can expect alot of pain.
I guess what's really scaring me is my fibromyalgia. My body has really intense, unexplainable, unreasonable reactions to things, and I would hate to be worse off after a knee replacement.
I made an appointment with my physical therapist for next week and will try to strengthen all the muscles around the knee. If worse comes to worse, and I do need replacements, I'll be ahead of the game afterwards.
I've been having a horrible fibromyalgia flare for about 3 months and I'm afraid my physical and emotional reserves for more problems are at a low point.
Jenn.....how's your dad doing? I've heard good things about knee replacements......but I still hope I won't need one.
I've had leg/foot/knee problems since I was a child. I'm thinking I was born with some defective parts.......and I'm not aging very gracefully either!
Thanks everyone.

One problem that you might want to talk to your physical therapist about is that sometimes a person with knee problems will hold themselves awkwardly. This messes with the natural posture and then they have back pain too. Ask him/her to make sure that you are still standing and walking correctly.

Thanks agnes and jenn.
Agnes....one important thing I learned from my physical therapist with surgery last year was how important it is to not limp or hold yourself out of alignment. You're right.....that in itself can cause alot of other problems. I have to really focus on walking correctly....even though I really want to limp!
Thanks again!

My big old dog tore her ACL CCL Crucial Ligament torn tendon in her back knee. Too old for surgery.

I also read many many forums of those whose dogs had ACL CCL tendon surgery and it went badly, a nightmare.

Dogs that are under 2 years old, too young as bones and tendons are not fully mature until 2 years old. Dogs under 2 years are suppose to wear a Knee Brace and not consider knee joint tendon surgery until after 2 years old.

I have been reading about Dog Knee Braces. Who has tried a Stifle Brace?
Who did you buy it from and what was your experience?

Find a naturalpath doctor and go after the cause instead of working with the symptoms. If you get the knee replaced a few years down the line the other knee is next and then a hip.
Fix the cause and the symptoms will go away.

Looks like you're the unfortunate, one of many out there who inherited some of the not so desirable genes.

Hopefully you get relieve in whatever treatment you do, I'm thinking of building up muscles by swimming, ..I know some people get relive do this, ...exercising your joints while not under pressure/weight.

I am with d0ug on this one. I go this route for my arthritis. I have had a messed up knee (right side) for a good 20 years of my life (since my late teens). At times it was so inflamed that I had to keep it extended and had next to no range of motion. My worse flare up two years ago is what got me try the natural route. I wasn't ready to move onto the next medication and I knew my body couldn't handle it as I was already rejecting the tried and true ones. I was so amazed by what and elimination diet did for me. I wasn't diagnosed with Fibro. but am pretty sure that I had that too along with three other autoimmune conditions. I am drug free and short of getting some tightness in my joints there is no major inflammation anymore. Look up inflammatory foods and play around. One week of a hardcore elimination diet did more for me than any medication has. I would look up nightshades, gluten, dairy, soy, sugar and the joint pain connection. I wish I would have gone this route as soon as my first autoimmune condition came out. I know it sounds crazy but it has been my life saver. Oh yeah, a food journal has to be your best friend during this time - tracking everything - foods and any symptom experienced. A lot of it can be done on your own if you are willing to research online.

Theophilus Curtis Ratliff a basketball player blow out his knees early in his career and found a Naturopath who helped him regrow his knee and when on to play basketball for more year than most all other players.
You might need surgery but if you have the time go for fixing it instead of cutting because you can not undo surgery. There is a reason for pain and it is not a lack of surgery or pain killers

I had pain in my left knee, they "cleaned" it up but it didn't help, I came out hurting as much as when I went in...they gave me a shot, it worked great...for 2 weeks, pain returned, couldn't straighten my leg...got a total left knee replacement, a year ago this month...no pain, can straighten my leg...it's still a little numb around the knee but I would do it again..I'm only sorry I didn't get the replacement right away.

This would worry me, ..a replacement can lead to more problems down the road, ...talked to a fellow who had it done on both knees in just over a year, he said that one has to be careful and you have to totally re-learn how to take care of,...like not kneeling on it or squatting etc. gets swollen allot.

Do it only as a last resort.

Somebody else said after a replacement,..it hurt so bad that he would never do it to the other leg at any cost.

The problem with surgery is they can't put the real knee back. If you have a problem with one knee than you probably have a problem in most of your joints. This is just the first to fail. Go and find a alternative doctor which treats the body not just one joint. Most people who get a knee replacement soon find themselves getting the other done and then the hips.

Has the OP had any surgery on her knee? Believe me, if her knee is bone-on-bone like my joints were, she would have them replaced. She needs to check references about the surgeon. The one I had for a knee and hip was wonderful....don't even know they are not my original...but the surgeon who I had for one of my hips put it in on an angle instead of straight, and I do walk with a limp as a result. I am weighing the pros and cons of taking a chance of having it redone.